Room Twelve
by pbow
Summary: A small continuation of THE CLOSET series of stories, this one centers on Tara and her new job as a Preschool teacher. Rated M for some violence.
1. The Sitch

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations from the television series **Kim****Possible**, nor do I receive any compensation for their use. I write my stories strictly to pass the time and work my fingers to the bone. I now have ten very bony fingers.

Author's notes: This is a continuation/side story to my **Closet** series of stories. It takes place after the last one, **A New Bonnie** but this small ficlet of fan fiction focuses on Tara and her new job. If you haven't read the other three stories in the series, some of this this might not make any sense.

Room Twelve

Chapter 1

The Sitch

"All right, boys and girls," Tara Tesla called out as she clapped her hand to get the attention of the twelve, four year old boy's and girls in the classroom, "it's nap time." She was only one week into her first job as a Preschool teacher after graduating from high school and college in less than two months, all thanks to the Mystical Monkey Powers.

There were a few grumbles and one little girl impishly whined that she wasn't done with her finger painting yet, but the group of kids in the room swiftly followed orders and moved to spread out mats on the floor, grab their blankets and lay down to sleep.

Soon all was quiet in the room and Tara turned off the overhead lights. She casually waved to her teacher's assistant, Tracy, as she ducked out the only door to the room and closed it without making any noise.

Tara stretched, getting the knots out of her sore back muscles and let out a yawn of her own, something that the kids had been doing for the last fifteen minutes, then meandered to the teacher's lounge located inside the front office with her lunchbox in hand. She still had a cold soda stashed away in it and she knew she wanted the caffeine to help her get through the last two hours before Preschool was over for the day.

Tara dearly love her new job as a teacher, molding and guiding the minds and bodies of the twelve children she was in charge of, and wouldn't give it up for the world. It gave her purpose and she just loved working with the tiny tots.

Well that wasn't totally true. She would've love it more if she had a child of her own, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. She didn't have a husband, let alone a boyfriend, just yet.

Tara was still only seventeen years old and was devoted to the three teens she was living with. Kim and Ron Stoppable had taken her and her friend Bonnie Rockwaller into their home after Bonnie had a major meltdown during cheer practice. Bonnie had practically thrown herself at Ron in order to attach herself to the rapidly rising popularity of the blond boy. Because of her breakdown, Bonnie had spent a week in the psychiatric wing at the hospital and learned that the Food Chain wasn't all it was cracked up to be in. Living with the two young Stoppables and Tara had really changed Bonnie for the better. After Kim and Ron had shared their MMP with Bonnie and Tara, the teal-eyed brunette had promised to help the teen heroes with saving the world and she'd done just that on a few missions.

Tara on the other hand, wasn't interested in helping out with the missions. She only wanted to stay in the background as the emotional support. That was one of the reasons why she took the job here at the Preschool while Kim, Ron and Bonnie were all teaching at Middleton High. But, due to her age and the fact that this was her first year teaching, Tara wasn't allowed to head a class all by herself. That was why she had Tracy to assist her. But then again, the other classes in the school all had both a teacher and an assistant to oversee the fifty-seven students in the school.

Tara got the soda out of her cooler, plopped down on one of the comfy couches in the Teacher's Lounge, popped the top and took a long drink.

"How goes the battle with your horde of Munchkins?" Nancy Bowman, one of the other teachers, smirked as she worked the two knitting needles in her hands. Tara wasn't sure just what Nancy was knitting this time around, but the twenty-five year old seemed to be constantly working on _something_ when she wasn't in her classroom. Nancy had recently announced that she'd just found out that she was pregnant with her first child so Nancy could be knitting either booties or a baby blanket, Tara surmised.

"It's not a battle," Tara giggled before she took a quick sip of soda. "My kids may be a little energetic but you just need to channel that energy into something creative or productive."

"A _little_ energetic?" Nancy incredulously begged with a light laugh as her hands continued in their work, seemingly without any thought or effort. "Your room looks like an art gallery has exploded and it's one of the loudest in the school."

Tara was about to respond with some witty repartee when something caught her ear. It sounded like emergency sirens were headed toward the school. While not totally unheard of in Middleton, police chases were fairly rare in the normally peaceful town. Tara stood and went to the window at the front of the office and peered out. Sure enough, an old, beat up car sped by with two police cars hot on its tail. The three cars careened around the corner and sped off away from the school.

The excitement over, Tara sat back down and finished her can of soda.

"It was probably some idiot who ran a stop sign and didn't want to get a ticket," Nancy nonchalantly announced without batting an eye at the incident.

"I don't think so," Tara cautiously said, her Mystic Powers making the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in warning. She could still here the sirens and it sounded like the chase was circling the block and heading back toward the school. "Something doesn't feel right to me." She stood up and tossed the empty aluminum can in the recycle bin, then turned to Nancy. "Just to be safe I think we should implement lock-down procedures."

"I don't think that's really necessary," Nancy said as she put her knitting away and stood up. The sirens sounded like they were definitely approaching the building again. "But just to be on the safe side..." Nancy walked out of the lounge area over to the public address system, flipped the master switch and spoke into the microphone. "To all teachers and assistants. There is police activity in the area and as a precaution, you are instructed to implement lock-down protocol."

Both women knew what those procedures entailed. All of the teachers and assistants that oversaw the students were to first lock the hallway door, making sure that all of their students were accounted for, and then make sure all of the windows in their rooms were shut and latched so no one from the outside of the building could reach any of the students. That also meant that someone would have to lock the two entry doors at both the front and back of the school.

"I'll get the back doors," Nancy said as she grabbed a key hanging next to the hallway entrance, "and you can get the front." She took off at a leisurely pace down the long hallway to the rear of the building.

Tara took the other key that was hanging next to the exit and went the short distance to the front doors. As she was locking the second door she looked up and spotted the old, beat up car just before it crashed into the chain link fence that surrounded the school property. Tara gasped when she saw a big, burly man dressed in blue jeans, a dark brown windbreaker and ski mask, jump out of the vehicle and race toward the back of the building. She could see that he was holding a stuffed cloth bag (with a huge dollar sign on the side of it) in one hand and a gun in the other.

Tara's first thought was to return to the front office and phone in a report of what she saw to the police. She got as far as entering the office when she looked through the window and spotted two police cruisers come to a screeching stop behind the crashed car. Four of Middleton's finest quickly got out of the two cars, guns drawn, and went in pursuit of the suspect.

Worried for her friend, Tara peeked out into the hallway to see if Nancy had already locked the two rear doors to the building and gasped when she saw the man burst through one of the doors, grab Nancy in a strangle hold from the rear and put the gun to her head.

"Don't try anything funny, Coppers!" the burly brute yelled when he saw the four officers approach the back doors. "I got a hostage now and I ain't afraid to do something nasty to the little lady!"

Using Nancy as a shield, the thug slowly backed away from the rear entrance and tried one of the classroom doors. It was locked. He backed to the next classroom and tried to open that door. It was unlock. The hoodlum swiftly pulled Nancy into the room and shut the door.

Tara let out a small sigh of relief. Room Twelve, where Nancy and the guy had entered, was empty at the time; being a spare classroom. Nancy was still in danger, being held at gunpoint, but at least the children weren't in any danger.

Tara was startled when she heard one of the front doors being jostled. She turned and recognized the police officer trying to get in. Officer Hobble was know and liked by just about everybody in Middleton, being the personable guy he was. The officer spotted her and motioned Tara to come over to the door. "Open the door!" he yelled as quietly as he could so as to not be heard by the suspect.

Tara glanced down the empty hallway to make sure the suspect hadn't left Room Twelve and, satisfied that the coast was clear, raced over to the door and unlocked it. As the officer entered the building, she could see a huge black delivery type van pull up to the front of the school and the Middleton S.W.A.T. team deploy.

"What's happening Officer Hobble?" was all Tara could asked.

"Let's talk in the office," was all the officer hushed. Tara silently nodded, went back into the front office and the officer followed. As soon as they were through the doorway Officer Hobble asked, "Why are you here, Miss Tesla?"

"I just started last week as a teacher," the platinum blond quietly answered as she glanced at the door. "I know my way around the building so maybe I can help you."

"That _would_ be extremely helpful," Officer Hobble said as he peeked around the corner of the door and saw the S.W.A.T. team deploying down the two sides of the hallway. "What can you tell me about the room the robbery suspect is in?"

"He robbed some place?" Tara begged in astonishment. In the peaceful Tri-City area, the term robbery was only heard on the news and it never happened in Middleton.

"Yes," Officer Hobble said, his voice firm and commanding, as he came back in to the center of the room where Tara was standing. "He robbed the downtown branch of the Middleton Bank and shot one of the Tellers so we know he's armed and dangerous. Now, what can you tell me about the room he is in."

"Oh, sorry," Tara gasped at the venom in the officer's voice. "Classroom Number Twelve isn't being used at this time except for storage. There are extra desks, chairs and sleeping mats stored along the inner wall of the room, but the main part has, let's see..." Tara paused as she pictured the room in her mind and counted out loud, "one, two, three... _six _short table with four chairs at each table. Oh, and all of the window blinds are always drawn to keep the room shaded from the sun."

"That's a very good description, Miss Tesla," Officer Hobble said, impressed with the help. "That means we can't see into the room and find out what's going on in there. Now, what is the name of the woman who is being held by the bad guy?"

"Her name is Nancy Bowman, one of the other teachers," Tara told the officer. "She's twenty-five or twenty-six years old and she told us last week that she's two months pregnant."

"A hostage who's pregnant," Officer Hobble grumbled and, taking his hat off, wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "That's all we need." He put his hat back on and asked, "What about the other rooms? Do any of them connect with Room Twelve?"

"No they don't," Tara informed the officer. "None of the rooms connect except by the main hallway. And just to let you know, the entire school is in lock-down mode. Nancy and I were here in the office when we heard the sirens and decided it would be prudent to take the precaution. We were just locking the outside doors when the suspect crashed into the fence."

"That was a very intelligent thing to do," Officer Hobble smiled at the platinum blond, seventeen year old girl. "Now, is there a phone in the room? Is there any way we can contact the suspect?"

"None of the rooms have telephones..." Tara stated. Officer Hobble's face drooped in defeat, then brightened when she pointed over to the public address system and continued, "...but the school _is_ wired with a public address/intercom system. You can talk directly to any of the room individually, or to the entire building."

Just then one of the S.W.A.T. team members came in to the office and said, "All of the rooms are locked and the teachers are all too afraid to open the doors, Bob. There's no way we can evacuate the kids without blowing the locks and causing mental trauma with the kids."

"Lock-down protocol states that the rooms are not to be unlocked until someone from the _school_ gives the all clear," Tara told the two officers. "That way, there isn't a chance that a bad guy posing as a police officer can get to the children."

"That's an understandable precaution, don't you think, Mike?" Officer Hobble nodded to the other officer, then turned to Tara. "Is there a master key that would unlock all of the doors someplace here in the office, Tara?"

"I very much doubt it," The platinum blond girl answered as she went over to a desk and tried to open the center drawer. It, of course, was locked. "Mrs. Tutor, the principle of the school, is the only one who has such a key and her desk is locked. She left at noon for lunch and a dentist appointment and she always take her keys with her when she leaves. She's not due back until just before classes are over." Tara walked over to the P.A. system and pointed at it. "But maybe the teachers will open the doors if I tell them to follow your instructions."

"We'll try that," Officer Hobble said to Tara and then turned to the other Officer. "We'll evacuate the building one room at a time. You can usher the students and teachers out to the buses that should be arriving at any minute."

Just then, squeaky brakes could be heard from the front of the building. Tara looked out the window and saw two big, black buses with the word **Police** on the side, stopping at the curb.

"Where should we take the kids?" Officer Mike asked.

"You could take them to the high school," Tara said as she pulled out her cell phone and held it out for the two Officers to see. "I'll call ahead and tell them to get the gymnasium ready. The kids can play in the gym until it's all clear to come back."

Officer Hobble gave his nodding approval before he turned to talk to the S.W.A.T. team member.

Tara walked over to the window and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't dial. She closed her eyes and _telepathically_ called out to Kim and Ron. She knew they were at the high school. Ron was teaching Home Ec. and Kim was getting ready to supervise and participate with the cheer squad. She also knew that Bonnie would be in the middle of teaching an English Lit. class and wouldn't want to be disturbed.

_"Kim, Ron, can you hear me?"_ Tara thought to her two friends who she now lived with.

_"Hi Tara,"_ Kim thought back, Tara hearing the redhead in her mind. _"What's the sitch?" _

_"Hey, Tara,"_ the platinum blond girl could hear Ron in her mind. _"My class is on standby for a few minute until the student's cookies come out of the oven. What can I do you for?"_

"_There's a major situation going on here at the Preschool, but the kids are all safe. The police are here, but they'll be sending the students over to the high school in a few minutes. Can either of you two watch over the children until the all clear is given?"_

_"We can do that,"_ Kim thought to her platinum blond friend. _"What kind of situation is going on? Do the police need our help?"_

"_A bank robber was chased here to the school and he took one of the teachers hostage_," Tara telepathically informed her two friends,_"but the Middleton S.W.A.T. Team is here and they seem to have things well in hand. They've only asked for my help to evacuate the rest of the building."_

_"I'll get the gym ready for the kids arrival,"_ Kim transmitted to Tara before she thought to her husband. _"Ron, why don't you get some snacks ready for the kids. I'm sure having something to eat will divert their attention for a little while."_

_"That's a good idea, KP," _Ron thought to his wife. _"I'm sure my students wouldn't mind donating a part of their Home Ec. projects for a good cause and I have a coupla gallons of milk in the fridge, here in the room, to wash those cookies down." _

_"Thank you, guys," _Tara 'said' to her friends with sincerity gushing from her thoughts. _"I gotta go. I think we're ready to start evacuating the building one room at a time, so I need to get over to the P.A. system."_

_"You know how to get a hold of Ron and I if you need us," _Kim thought as she moved to the gymnasium doors to go and find Mr. Barkin and let him know what was happening.

Tara closed her cell phone, like she'd ended the call, then moved over to the P.A. system where the two officers were standing. "Alright, let's get started." Tara smiled and let out a giggle at using one of Kim's signature lines.


	2. Gathering Intelligence

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations from the television series **Kim****Possible**, nor do I receive any compensation for their use. I write my stories strictly to pass the time and work my fingers to the bone. I now have ten very bony fingers.

Room Twelve

Chapter 2

Gathering Intelligence

Tara took a red marker and made a small X on a piece of paper, then tore off the mark. She then grabbed a strip of adhesive tape and stuck the X over the switch to Room Twelve. "That way we won't inadvertently contact the suspect in Room Twelve and let him know what's going on," Tara informed Officer Hobble as she switched the system from 'Public Address' to 'Intercom' mode.

The evacuation went off without a hitch. There were five occupied room with a total of fifty-seven students, plus the nine other teachers and assistants to move. The teachers all recognized Tara's voice when she called each of the classrooms over the Intercom system. With the all clear coming from one of their own, the teachers and assistants followed the instructions the S.W.A.T. Team gave them to the letter.

The students were told that they were going on a little field trip to see the high school gymnasium. The kids were very excited, but the teachers told them that the trip would be called off if they weren't absolutely quiet. That almost worked, but the children were still too restless to be quiet in the hallway so Tara told them that there would be cookies and milk waiting for them _if_ they remained completely silent until they got to the bus. That shut the little tykes up. (Isn't bribery wonderful? I know, I know. Bribing kids with food isn't very P.C. nowadays, but hey, it worked!)

A mere fifteen minutes after the police chased had ended in the playground of the Preschool, Tara tore the adhesive tape off of the building's intercom panel as Officer Hobble picked up the microphone. He sounded extremely professional when he said into the mic, "My name is Officer Robert Hobble with the Middleton Police Department. What can I call you?"

"I tell you what, Bob," the answer came over the Intercom speaker, sounding angry, arrogant and extremely sarcastic at the same time, "you can call me... Charlie. Now, what I want from you is..." he was severely cut off by Hobble.

"Your demands will be heard _after _I make sure your hostage, Mrs. Bowman, is alive and well!"

There was a brief pause before Nancy's voice was heard. She sounded a little shaken up but her voice was still strong. "I'm here Officer Hobble. It's nice to know you're on the job."

"How are you doing Nancy?"

"My neck and back are a little sore from the rough handling," Nancy answered with a light chuckle, "but otherwise, I'm fine." Tara was relieved to hear her new friend was taking the situation well. At least Nancy didn't sound like she was falling apart at the seams.

"Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way," Charlie the suspect stepped in on the conversation, "I'd like to get out of this Podunk town as quickly as possible. I want a chopper to take me to the airport and a private jet waiting and fueled when I get there."

The bank robber went on with other demands but Tara tuned him out as she went over to the other side of the room. Officer Hobble was in charge and the only thing she was doing was manning the public address/intercom system; and that was labeled well enough for Hobble to operate without any assistance.

Tara punched one of the buttons on her PDA style wrist watch and the image of Wade Load came on the screen. "Hey Tara," the pudgy twelve year old answered with a weak smile. "I heard what's going on at your school over the police scanners and know you're in the middle of a situation. What do you need?"

"I'd like you to tie in to the school's surveillance cameras and see if you can identify the bad guy," Tara said as she glanced over to the two officers who were currently discussing strategy. "I have a bad feeling about him."

"You should," Wade said as he hit the enter key and his image on the screen changed to that of a mug shot of the felon. "I've already tied in to your school's cameras and identified the man as one Charles 'Howling Mad' Hollis. He's wanted for over twenty bank robberies in the U.S. and Canada and he's _earned_ the nickname Howling Mad. He's been extremely viscous during his crime spree. Hollis has shot at least one Teller in each of the robberies and four of them have died. In eight of the robberies, he's ended up taking a hostage and left two of them dead and the rest injured."

"Do the police know who they're dealing with?" Tara queried.

"I've already passed on my intel," Wade answered. "I've also sent them a schematic of the building so I don't see how you can help them any further. I think it'd be a good idea if you left now and get out of harm's way."

"I would, Wade," Tara said with fierce determination in her voice, "but he's taken over _my _school and I feel I have some responsibility to my friend, Nancy."


	3. Plans and Confrontation

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations from the television series **Kim****Possible**, nor do I receive any compensation for their use. I write my stories strictly to pass the time and work my fingers to the bone. I now have ten very bony fingers.

Room Twelve

Chapter 3

Plans and Confrontation

Tara couldn't stand it.

After setting up communications between Officer Hobble and the suspect she'd been pushed into the background of the situation. The P.D. had wanted her to join the rest of the school personnel with the children but she had argued that they may need someone who knew the building a lot better than someone who only had a set of blueprints. They finally agreed but told her to stay out of the way.

So here she was sitting in the corner of the main office, just watching from the sidelines.

Tara giggled to herself. She was used to being on the sidelines. As a cheerleader in high school she had been on many a sideline cheering on the team. Now she desperately wanted to get in the game and help her friend Nancy.

Tara had been listening in on how the police wanted to handle the hostage situation and it didn't sound like they actually knew how to handle it. The S.W.A.T. Team wanted to rush into the room with guns blazing. Officer Hobble and the other regular P.D. member wanted to sit and wait out the sitch to let 'Charlie' make the first mistake.

Tara was positive neither plan would work.

Both ways had been tried with the suspect before, at least according to the police reports of past encounters that Wade had downloaded to her TaraCom. (At least that was what she called her very own Kimmunicator. Kim had her Kimmunicator, Ron had the Ronnunicator and Bonnie's unit was called the Bonnunicator, but Tara couldn't get used to calling her unit a Taranunicator. It just sounded too weird. That's why she started to call them the BonnieCom, RonnieCom, TaraCom and KimmieCom. Of course Kim didn't like the name KimmieCom. She said it sounded too childish, so she stuck with the name Kimmunicator.)

But anyway, those two plans had been tried before and neither had worked. Lives had been lost and the felon had gotten away in each and every case. Tara knew that something else would have to be tried if Nancy were to come out of the situation alive and unharmed.

Tara thought about what Kim and Ron would do in this sitch. How would they sneak up on the bad guy and take him by surprise? She idly glanced around the room while she mulled over the question. Then she spotted it.

Of Course! The school's ventilation system!

The High Volume Air Conditioning (HVAC) vents ran throughout the building. One of the S.W.A.T. Team members could crawl through the vents to Room Twelve, stick the gun muzzle through the grill of the vent and simply shoot the suspect.

Tara stood and was ready to suggest the plan to the two officers when a few minor details came to mind. One, the officers were all much larger than her and they might not fit into the vents. Most of the officers were, well, overweight to put it kindly, and the ones who weren't fat were extremely buff; their muscular physiques making them much too large to properly fit in the vents. (Tara also remembered Ron and Kim talking about one of their missions when he had the Molecular Muscle Enhancer ring in Las Vegas and Ron got stuck in a vent.) Two, the police all wore bulky flak vests and had too much equipment on to fit into the vents. Three, the angle of the vent might not afford a good shot. And four, the most distressing of the negatives, was Tara really didn't want anyone shot or killed in the school. Word of the incident would get out and it could traumatize the students. It would certainly traumatize her... and especially Nancy.

Okay, so sending an officer into the vents was out of the question but that didn't mean that _she_ couldn't do it.

Tara now knew martial arts after training with Kim, Ron and her friend Bonnie at Yamanouchi for a month. She could now tap in to the Mystical Energies and use them exactly like Kim and Ron could. Tara was confident that she could take down the thug with her bare hands but he had a gun and wasn't afraid to use it.

The one thing Tara knew she could never do was carry or use a gun. She didn't like them to begin with, but she also had never fired a gun in the first place. If she tried to shoot the suspect she would probably hit her own foot. No, she would just have to go in to Room Twelve empty handed.

Well, not totally empty handed.

Tara closed her eyes and telepathically contacted her housemate, Kim Stoppable. _"Hey K., I'm going to try something here and I need to borrow the Lotus Blossom." _The necklace that Kim always wore, the Lotus Blossom, was one of three weapons that Tara had learned were mystically enhanced. Of the other two Lotus Blades, Ron possessed the Lotus Stem and Rufus wielded the Lotus Petal. While training with her Mystical Monkey Powers, Tara found out that she could also wield any of the three different mystical weapons.

_"What are you going to do?"_ Kim warily queried. _"Don't the police have things under control?"_

_"The situation is stable for the time being," _Tara hedged in thought to Kim, _"but it sounds like they aren't taking Wades information on the guy seriously. They can't make up their minds whether to charge in and try to shoot the suspect or just stand back and wait until he makes a mistake. Both of those scenarios have been tried multiple times before with the suspect and they all ended tragically. I want to take a different approach and sneak in through the air vents to take him down." _

_"That's what Ron and I would do,"_ Kim assured her platinum blond girl friend. _"But, wouldn't it be better if Ron or I did it? We've had more experience in these types of matters."_

_"That may be,"_ Tara countered, _"but you're at the high school with the kids and it would take you fifteen minutes to get here. I'm not sure if we have that much time. The suspect is expecting a helicopter to take him to the airport at any minute." _

_"Yeah, you're probably right," _Kim thought to Tara. _"Okay, use the Lotus Blossom, but be careful. Remember to follow the procedures we used in cheerleading. Be confident, make sure your path is clear, visualize your move beforehand then follow through without hesitation. If you start second-guessing yourself, you'll end up getting hurt."_

_"That's good advice," _Tara giggled in her mind to Kim. _"Thanks Kim."_

Tara opened her eyes and looked around the main office. Seeing the the police officers were still preoccupied and the coast was clear, she closed her eyes again and summoned the Lotus Blade. With a subtle blue flash, the katana appeared in her hands. She immediately willed it to become a set of nunchakus; two ten inch long sticks connected by a short length of chain.

Tara quickly tucked the weapon into her blue jeans at the small of her back and ducked out of sight into the teacher's lounge. Luckily, one of the couches in the room was directly below a vent so she stood on the sofa and pulled the vent off. Tara glanced back through the door to make sure the police were still unaware of what she was doing before she climbed into the vent.

Tara felt the familiar sense of déjà vu as she crawled toward Room Twelve. Shortly after the four teens had returned from Yamanouchi, Kim had led Tara and Bonnie out the stables that had been converted into a gym for some training. The gym was equipped with a great air conditioning system with large vents to practice getting in to any villainous lair, and that was the training Kim wanted the two girls to try. Tara had told Kim that she didn't want to go on any missions but finally agreed after a bit of persuasion and a Puppy Dog Pout thrown her way.

Tara was now glad she did accept the training.

Moving through the vent, Tara knew where to place her hands and knees so she didn't make a sound. Tara reached the room's vent and peered in. She saw Nancy sitting on a chair directly below her and the bad guy was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, staring at the door to the hallway, ten feet to Nancy's left.

A dozen scenarios ran through Tara's mind as she tried to figure out what to do. Most were too intricate and she immediately dismissed them. Tara knew a direct approach was the best and that her first concern was to get Nancy and herself out of the room.

Sudden inspiration hit Tara. One day when they were training at Yamanouchi, Ron showed her and Bonnie how to channel the Power and create a protective orb, just like the one that Shego wasn't able to break through when she fought Kim at the Bachelorette party. When asked how impenetrable the sphere was, Ron had said it could probably withstand a tank shell at point blank range, though he wasn't willing to put the claim to the test. But if an MMP protection globe was at least strong enough to withstand Shego's attack, then it should be able to protect her and Nancy from a handgun.

Tara held her hand up in front of her face and concentrated on her MMP. A blue glow surrounded her hand and quickly spread around her entire body. Swiftly, so she didn't have seconds thoughts about doing what she was about to do, Tara kicked out the vent grate and followed. The grate landed right in front of the bad guy, startling him from his visual vigil of the door, while Tara alit in front of her friend. The MMP orb quickly engulfing the other teacher.

Charlie 'Howling Mad' Hollis swung around and, within seven seconds, emptied the fifteen round clip of his gun.

The bullets ricocheted off of the sphere, hitting the windows, the desks and the walls, and some were even returned to their sender.

At the sound of gunfire, the S.W.A.T. Team members who had been patiently waiting for the word outside the room, took nine seconds to get the battering ram into position and burst through the locked door, guns drawn. The sight they saw was one that would be talked about back at the police station for many years to come.

Gunsmoke billowed around the room, bullet holes pockmarked the walls and two of the windows were blown out, their shades hanging at odd angles. Tara and Nancy were standing at one end of the room in a tight embrace, and neither woman seemed to be injured.

The suspect was standing there, his face showing utter shock, his gun dangling by the trigger guard from a finger... with one bullet hole in the middle of his chest and another right between the eyes. Two and three-quarters seconds later, the former bank robber fell to the floor, dead before he even started the descent.

Frozen in shock, the S.W.A.T. team members had to be nudged aside as Tara led her shaken friend from Room Twelve.


	4. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or locations from the television series **Kim****Possible**, nor do I receive any compensation for their use. I write my stories strictly to pass the time and work my fingers to the bone. I now have ten very bony fingers.

Room Twelve

Chapter 4

Aftermath

"I honestly don't know, Robert," Nancy said for what felt like the hundredth time to Officer Hobble. "As I've told you, it all happened so fast."

"And you, Miss Tesla?" the large police officer turned to Tara again with a heavy sigh. "Are you going to stick to the story that you crawled through the vents _only_ to help your friend, and that you were merely _lucky_ not to get shot?"

"I guess that's what happened," Tara lied with a slight blush. "I mean I had my back to the guy so I don't know what he was aiming at."

"It looked like he wasn't aiming at _anything_," Officer Hobble howled in disbelief, "except maybe his forehead and heart... and those two entry wounds don't appear to be self-inflicted!"

"I don't know what else we can tell you," Nancy sharply stated. "You'll just have to figure it out. In the meantime, you have about forty-five minutes before the parents start showing up to pick up their kids. I think it would be a good idea if you and your men were finished before they arrive."

"Yes, I think so too," the buff officer said with a nod. "The suspect's car is being towed away as we speak and the investigators are almost finished in the room. What will you tell the parents and kids?" Officer Hobble warily begged.

"We'll leave it up to the parents as to what the children find out," Nancy said with a frown. "They would know better what their child can understand so they should be the ones to tell, or withhold, any information."

"Nancy and I can print up some kind of official statement from the school," Tara suggested as she sat down at a computer terminal and started typing, "stating that the suspect didn't come anywhere near the students and that they had been evacuated before they were put in any danger. We can also add that the police were very helpful, making the children's safety their first priority while isolating the suspect. Then, after the children were safely away from the school, the Police S.W.A.T. Team efficiently took out the bad guy."

"That would be okay," Officer Hobble nodded as he peered over Tara's shoulder and read the words that were appearing on the screen. "As a matter of fact, that will be the official account of what happened here today. May I have a copy when you are done writing?"

"Certainly, Officer Hobble," Tara giggled as she finished with a flourish. She printed out a copy and handed it to the officer.

Officer Hobble nodded and smiled as he read and reread the page. "This is just fine and it'll be the official police statement for the press. The only thing we'll need to add is something about the robbery and how the chase accidentally ended up here."

Xxxxxx

Officer Hobble had been true to his word. Since it was deemed an open and shut case, the investigators had gathered all of the evidence, cleaned up and had left the scene fifteen minutes before the children arrived back at the preschool. The parents started to arrive shortly thereafter. Each child had been given an envelop with the statement Tara had typed up to give to their parents and a few of the adults had even returned from their cars after reading it to thank Tara and Nancy for keeping their child safe.

Mrs. Bertha Tutor, the head of the school, had arrived from her dental appointment just as the last police officer drove off. Nancy and Tara told her what had happened and, while she was a bit stunned over the incident, Mrs. Tutor praised her two teachers for handling it in a professional and conscientious manner.

After the last student was picked up, the teachers, assistants and Mrs. Tutor gathered in the now empty and cleaned up Room Twelve.

"Wow!" Mrs. Bertha Tutor exclaimed as she examined one of the bullet holes in the wall, then turned to Tara and Nancy. "You two were sure lucky not to have been shot!"

"I think it was more than luck," Nancy said, slyly eying the platinum blond standing next to her. "I know that guy was aiming directly at us when the gun went off."

"What are you suggesting?" one of the teacher's assistants curiously begged. "Are you saying that he panicked or was a poor shot?"

"Noooo," Nancy drawled as she remembered what she had seen, and didn't think she could believe her own eyes. "What I recall is seeing the gun aimed directly at us and before he could pull the trigger, a blue... _something,_ surrounded Tara and I. The bullets bounced off the, _thing_, and we were safe."

"Tara," Bertha said with a bit of annoyance, "would you care to explain what happened?"

"I don't know if I can," Tara squeaked and cringed, unsure if she should tell them about her Mystical Monkey Powers.

"It's okay to tell them," Kim said with a smile as she and Ron entered the room hand-in-hand. "Your MMP isn't really a secret." She turned to the other ladies in the room and said, "We only wish you wouldn't tell anyone what you're about to see."

"So I can tell them everything about our Mystical Monkey Powers?" Tara begged her two friends in astonishment.

"You can tell 'em about the Power," Ron said with a cheesy grin, "but you can't tell 'em about that place in you-know-what-country, and how you got 'em."

It took Tara a few seconds to finally understand Ron's cryptic message and she let out a playful giggle when she did. "Ooooh, I get it now! I can tell them about the Powers but I can't tell anyone about the place where we learned all about them!" She turned to her fellow teachers and laughed. "I'm sorry, guys. I was having a blond moment there for a second."

"You deserved it, Tara," Bertha Tutor lovingly cooed as she wrapped her newest teacher in a warm embrace. "If I'd gone through what you did today, I'd probably be a little rattled myself. Now, what can you tell us about these... _Mystic_ Powers, you claim to have?"

"Well," Tara hedged a bit, not being someone who was used to being in the spotlight. Don't misunderstand. She was okay when she was in a group, like with the cheer squad, but being the sole main attraction was always a bit embarrassing for the usually timid platinum blond.

Kim knew of Tara's unease at being the center of attraction and stepped in. "What Tara, Ron and I have is called Mystical Monkey Powers. We can't really tell you how we got the Powers but we can show you what we can do with them."

Kim let her Powers flow freely and she was immediately surrounded by a glowing blue bubble. "That's exactly what I saw," Nancy gasped in amazement.

Ron stepped up to the sphere and rapped on it as he said to the ladies, "This here shield that we can create can withstand anything up to a Howitzer shell. That's how Tara was able to shrug off the bullets."

"That's amazing," Bertha marveled as she stepped closer and tentatively touched the bubble. Soon all of the other teachers were poking and tapping on the orb. Bertha Tutor walked back over to Tara and queried, "And you can do this too?"

"Yes, I can," Tara giggled, shut her eyes and the blue glow seeped out of her, slowly forming an identical orb. She opened her eyes and laughed, "But I can't do it as quickly as Kim or Ron can."

"That's only because you don't practice enough," Kim playfully chided as her sphere rose in the air, did a quick loop-d-loop and then settled back down to the floor and dissipated.

"We can do a few other things with our Powers," Ron said to the group of ladies, "but I'm sure you all got other things to do right now and we need to get going."

The teachers and assistants looked up to the clock above the door and, realizing what time it was, said a quick good bye and dashed off, leaving Bertha, Nancy, Kim, Ron and Tara in Room Twelve.

Ron pulled out his RonnieCom as he walked to the door and said, "I know a contractor that can get your fence, windows and walls repaired in a jiffy. And don't worry about the bill, I'll cover it." He ducked out the door as he called Wade up.

"I do have one question, Tara," Bertha said as the four women followed Ron out into the hallway.

"What's that, Mrs. Tutor?" Tara queried.

"Well, it bothered me a little after I hired you as a teacher," Bertha said as they slowly made their way up the hall. "I was wondering how you managed to get through high school and college so quickly. I mean you're only seventeen and should be a junior in high school this year. Do your Powers have something to do with that?"

"Yes they do, ma'am," Tara joyfully laughed. "Our MMP let's us learn at an increased pace. We only need to touch a book and we know everything that's in it. Kim and Ron paved the way so that my friend Bonnie and I could get our teaching credentials at Upperton U in only a month."

"That, I'd like to see," Nancy chuckled. She ducked in to the classroom she was in charge of and quickly returned with her tote bag. Nancy pulled a book out of the bag and handed it to Tara as she asked, "Can you read this book using your Powers?"

Tara looked at the cover and saw that the paperback was a romance novel. The hand holding the book glowed blue for a few seconds before the aura disappeared and Tara handed to novel over to Mrs. Tutor.

"Open the book to any page," Tara instructed the Preschool Principal.

"Okay, Tara," Bertha said as she opened the book and found the page number. "How about page one-sixty-one."

"Ooooh, that's a good one," Tara enthused as her whole face lit up in excitement and started to recite, "Marsha ripped John's shirt open, buttons flying in all directions. 'I want you now,' she said in a husky voice before she licked a line from his bare stomach up to his chin.

"'Marsha,' John cooed as he firmly gripped her shoulders and pulled the material of the dress she wore down, down, down.

"'John,' she cried and they fell into a crushing embrace.

"'Marsha.'

"'John.'

"'Marsha.'

"And so on and so forth," Tara said, finishing quoting from the book. "That goes on for about half a page before anything more happens."

"Yes, that's exactly what is on page one-sixty-one," Bertha said with a sly smiling nod as she closed the novel and handed it back to Nancy.

"I got a hold of the contractor," Ron said as he approached the four ladies and stuffed his RonnieCom in his pocket. "He told me he could get a crew out here and get the job done tonight but someone has to be here to let them in the building at around seven."

"I can come back and let them in," Tara immediately volunteered. "I feel a little responsible for the damage and I don't have any plans for this evening."

"You shouldn't feel responsible, Tara," Nancy cooed to her friend. "You had no idea what would happen when you jumped into the room."

"I do anyway," Tara said as she pulled the set of nunchakus from the small of her back. "My plan was to shield you and knock the gun from his hand. I kinda panicked when he turned the gun on us and forgot about the plan."

"You can use that weapon?" Bertha Tutor cried in dismay. "Tara, you know we don't allow weapons of any kind of in the school!"

"Normally, she doesn't carry the Lotus Blossom," Kim said as she held out her hand. The nunchakus disappeared from Tara's hand in a blue flash and reappeared in her hand in the form of a short katana. "I usually keep the Magical Lotus Blade with me." The sword disappeared in another flash and a beautiful necklace appeared around Kim's neck.

"I... you..." Bertha Tutor muttered in utter amazement before her mouth hung open for ten seconds. Nancy seemed to be in the same state of shock. Slowly, Mrs. Tutor reigned in her emotions and said, "Okay, Tara. Take the key for the rear doors with you tonight and let the crew in when they arrive. Just be sure to lock up when they leave and return the key tomorrow morning." She swiftly turned on her heels and walked toward the main office.

"Mrs. Tutor," Ron yelled to get her attention. The woman stopped and turned.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked.

"I told the contractor to paint the room after the repairs had been made but he wanted to know what color you wanted the room!"

Xxxxxx

Tara sat on the counter, reading a dime store novel, behind where she and Nancy had been standing when the shooting had taken place. In front of her, two men were replacing the windows that had been shot out. Two other men were patching the walls where bullets had struck while three other men were already putting roller brush to wall with an azure blue paint. The fence around the building and playground had already been repaired.

Tara smiled as she put her book down and watched the painters, specifically the one who was a teenager. She found out that the teen was only one year older than her and that he was the son of the Contractor.

The lad smiled at Tara as he stopped in mid stroke and said, "Did you know this paint color matches your eyes?"

"_Maybe I will find a husband some day,_" Tara mused in her mind as she coyly winked at the lad.


End file.
